24th Hall of Fame

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I remember you also talked about Lore once. I like to see that.
Cool.

Right now, I'm watching a co-produced film between Finland and China. I know I wont finish it tonight but I was talking about my favorite film topic and the movie is free on Tubitv.



I watched Beast of The Southern Wild back in the 9th HoF and was one of the few who really liked it. I'm going to watch it again and write a fresh review without ever looking at my old review. Then I'll post both reviews here. I think that's interesting as it's a comparison of how my views, or lack of writing skills have devolved So you guys can contrast and compare!



So do you get commercials with TubiTV? I'm not sure how that works, it's suppose to be free right?
It is free and yes it has ads.

I'm watching Jadesoturi there now.



Äideistä Parhain is a very cute drama from Finland about Finnish children being placed with Swedish families during the war.
Klaus Härö is one of the few modern Finnish directors whose films I've liked. Have you seen Elina - Som om jag inte fanns? It's a Swedish-Finnish co-production of a Finnish speaking girl (and her family) living in rural Sweden in the 50s. Another cute drama by the same director.
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Klaus Härö is one of the few modern Finnish directors whose films I've liked. Have you seen Elina - Som om jag inte fanns? It's a Swedish-Finnish co-production of a Finnish speaking girl (and her family) living in rural Sweden in the 50s. Another cute drama by the same director.
Yes. I found it after my first view of Mother of Mine.

I liked it as well.



I had Mother of Mine on my radar several times, but never saw it. Guess I'll bump it up.
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Beasts of the Southern Wild




BotSW has a sense of originality to it that doesn't involve something flashy or gimmicky, which is I think a rare feat in cinema. Visually it balances this odd sense of garbage/dirtiness with beauty/fantasy. I found this to be rather striking and worked in the film's favour. We see the beauty through the eyes of the little girl aka Hushpuppy, who lives in the "Bathub" which is a place people are refusing to leave despite the dangers of flooding taking their homes. That POV can be a little distracting at times because we can low level shaky-cam techniques than can be more distracting than artistically relevant.

Quvenzhané Wallis Wallis delivers a rather honest performance and she works well with Dwight Henry who plays her father. Children in movies are a tough sell because it is so easy for them to be annoying little brats. The one question I do tend to bring up with child actors though is can they continue to do this or are they a one-trick pony? This is specific to new-comers. Wallis hasn't had too much of a career after Beasts, she starred in the stinker Annie and the gut-wrenching 12 years a slave, which I don't even remember her role in. What can she do when she is older and loses that sense of innocence that young children have?

I loved the music, specifically the toe-tapping opening bit. The sheer fun these characters have in the opening is contagious and I really dug the fantasy element that emerges from the story. The film does drag a bit in places, which stalls some enjoyment from it. at 93 minutes, this film should fly by, but it doesn't.
I haven't seen this since it was released, but I seem to recall agreeing with you in terms of how it balances the "grimness" of poverty with the fantasy of the premise. Wallis and Henry were both impressive, especially when you consider that they were not actors. I look forward to rewatching it; see how it has aged.





Rudderless (2014)


I thought this was a new persons pick...in which case I was going to applaud the choice but I see it was Suspect. Rudderless tells the story of a father who after the death of his son during a shooting decides to leave his life in advertising to live on a boat and paint houses. Years after his sons death his ex-wife drops off music with Sam and he begins to play his songs. A guitarist named Quentin pressures and convinces Sam to start a band with him.


Rudderless is a mixed bag of a film, this is Macy's directorial debut and the film is littered with cameos. It almost feels like a film from a bygone era where these little indie films weren't just four people in an isolated setting. But Rudderless is not without it's flaws, Sam doesn't really commit to a solid personality type he's very much a toothless misanthropic character feeling benign at most times. The humor falls flat as Sam isn't really the comedic presence that the tonal shifts call for. The ideas are there but the execution is not, we also don't get enough of Quentin's back story which is a problem as the Sam/Quentin relationship is the major driver of the plot.

WARNING: spoilers below

I won't give away the twist...it's kinda dumb and frankly cheap. Selena Gomez is really bad in this. But while it feels like I'm crapping on this if I'm judging this film as a musical it really works. This is a solid soundtrack and the thesis of the film is strong even though the tone is off. I don't think I would have ever watched this film so thank you for this. No clue what stars I would give this or where I would rank it.




Antwone Fisher (2002)

Antwone Fisher might very well end up being the movie I most enjoyed watching in this HoF. And that's saying a lot, as there are a lot of choice movies in this HoF!

I think Antwone Fisher was a nearly perfect film. I might compare it to Goodwill Hunting as both films have similar themes. Only this film felt so much more grounded in reality and focused on the story at hand. And I've always liked Denzel Washington too. He reminds me of Tom Hanks as both have this quiet, yet determined demeanor about them. That quiet resolve is what makes Denzel so effective in this movie. And I have to say I'm impressed with the actor who played the titular role, Derek Luke. Derek was able to show blind rage, OK that's probably not to hard for actors. I've heard actors say anger is the easiest emotion for them to do. But Derek isn't just anger in the film, he's emotionally wounded and trying to heal. He's shy and unsure of himself which comes from years of child abuse. Derek made me believe I was watching a real person and that's also saying a lot!

The real Antwone Fischer must be quite a talented person because he wrote this movie! And it's the script and the story it describes that impresses me the most. I really felt like I there watching these events unfold in real time. Part of the credit for the honesty of this film has to go to the director Denzel Washington. I liked the way Denzel directed this, no cheese, no over the top-hey look at me type direction. Denzels's directing is like his acting, perfectly in sync for what he's doing.

What a great film!




28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds


Rudderless (2014)


I thought this was a new persons pick...in which case I was going to applaud the choice but I see it was Suspect.

Ha, I'm not exactly sure what this means. Sounds like a disappointed parent.



Women will be your undoing, Pépé
That looks like quite a excellent film. Will definitely be adding that to my watchlist. THANKS
So do you get commercials with TubiTV? I'm not sure how that works, it's suppose to be free right?
yeah, about 3 commercials per break. And there's quite a lot of them and they can show up right in the middle of someone speaking. Pretty frustrating.
On a positive note the commercials are much shorter than regular tv.
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Women will be your undoing, Pépé



Ajeossi aka The Man From Nowhere (2010)

Tae-Sik Cha: You live only for tomorrow.
Man-seok: What?
Tae-Sik Cha: The ones that live for tomorrow, get f@cked by the ones living for today.
Man-seok: What are you babbling about?
Tae-Sik Cha: I only live for today. I'll show you just how f@cked up that can be.

I firmly believe that there is an exquisite poetic symmetry to a lot of Asian films, especially when it comes to South Korea. While I've only seen a couple of dramas, the nuances in their period pieces, horror films and action/crime films have consistently amazed me visually and emotionally.

Even when it's an overly common premise of revenge regarding a stranger that steps up, to defend/rescue a young child from villainous low-lives.
It is still an excellent watch, done with finesse that keeps you engaged throughout the length of the film. And for such a familiar storyline, that truly says a lot for the quality of the film and everyone involved.

Won Bin as Tae-Sik Cha does an excellent job as the "quiet" stranger that owns a pawnshop and is drawn into the violent repercussions of the little girl's mother stealing from the wrong people. The basis of friendship between Tae-Sik Cha and the young girl, Jeong So-mi (Sae-ron Kim) is quite genuine and at times, quite touching. Giving a great balance to the well-executed violence that erupts as Tae-Sik goes after the "bad guys" while dodging the Police who are also after the bad guys and believe him to be associated with them.

I'm glad to take a revisit of this film and to see it's return to an HoF.



yeah, about 3 commercials per break. And there's quite a lot of them and they can show up right in the middle of someone speaking. Pretty frustrating.
On a positive note the commercials are much shorter than regular tv.
It seems to vary quite a bit. I've watched movies on Tubi that didn't have a single ad break, or just one group of them halfway through the movie. I've also watched movies on there that had ad breaks seemingly every 20 minutes. (And it always seems to be the same damn commercials over and over.)

I love Tubi, though. It's a haven for hard-to-find, super sleazy, cult/grindhouse fare.
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Hard Times (1975)

A bit unusual choice for an HoF nomination, as they seem to lean quite heavily towards more serious and ambitious films. Personally, I find it a welcome change. As much as I enjoy ambitious projects, I watch a ton of genre films and god-honest B-movies, so I have no difficulties enjoying Charles Bronson doing some bare-knuckle fights.


As a plot, I'm not a great fan of these organized fights and underground tournaments. It's probably the most often used story in martial arts films and the most boring and uninspired at the same time. Hard Times is better than most such films due to its setting (Great Depression almost always works for me) and charismatic actors. The characters may be a little bland, but Bronson and Coburn still make them worthwhile.

Walter Hill may not be an innovator like Kubrick, but he's competent enough to make a good-looking film on a budget. The South looks hot, moist, and beautiful, and the pacing is reasonably tight (though Ireland's character seemed unnecessary, and the film would probably have worked better without her altogether). The fights are also quite good, especially considering the film's age (and Bronson's, I guess).

It's funny how positive the above reads considering that I wouldn't call Hard Times exactly good. It's an easy watch, though, and moderately entertaining 90 minutes.